United News of Bangladesh

Police have filed a case against two people including a Jamaat-e-Islami leader after seizing six illegally made ballot seals in Lakshmipur. The accused are Sourav Hossain Sharif, secretary of Jamaat’s Ward No. 4 unit of Lakshmipur municipality and the son of Mohammad Shajahan of South Banchanagar area and businessman Sohel Rana, son of Khorshed Alam of Tumchar village in Sadar upazila. Sohel was shown arrested on Wednesday afternoon and sent to court, said Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Hosain Mohammad Raihan Kazemi . Earlier, on Tuesday night, Sub-Inspector Humayun Kabir of Lakshmipur Sadar Police Station, filed the case naming the two as accused. Police said Sohel Rana is the owner of Mariam Printers on Old Court Road in the district town. Acting on a tip-off, police raided his shop on Tuesday afternoon and seized six ballot seals with 16 boxes each  along with a computer and a mobile phone. He was later detained and taken to the police station. Based on his statements and evidence including WhatsApp conversations and voice messages, Jamaat leader Sourav Hossain Sharif was also named in the case. Police said the seals were prepared by Sohel on Sharif’s order. Following the seizure, BNP and Jamaat held separate press conferences on Tuesday night, blaming each other over the incident. At a press conference, BNP Joint Secretary General and BNP candidate for Lakshmipur-3 (Sadar) constituency Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie claimed Jamaat’s involvement in the seal incident and alleged that the arrested Sohel was a Jamaat activist. Jamaat should never be allowed to come to power: Abdul Awal Mintu In a counter press conference, Jamaat’s candidate for the same constituency and  also secretary of Jamaat’s Dhaka North city unit  Rezaul Karim said Sohel was not associated with Jamaat. Lakshmipur district Jamaat Ameer Ruhul Amin Bhuiyan said Sharif had been expelled from the party immediately after the incident and a press release on the expulsion would be issued.

Police in Lakshmipur have arrested a businessman, Sohel Rana, with six illegally made election seals. A mobile phone and a computer were also seized during the operation. Sohel was detained Tuesday afternoon from Mariam Press on Puraton Adalat Road in the town. He is a resident of Tumchar Union in Sadar Upazila and the owner of Mariam Press. According to police, based on a tip-off, Sadar police raided the press and recovered six seals allegedly intended for use in elections. Executive Magistrate Hasan Mahmud Nahid visited the spot after being informed and later confiscated the seals, mobile phone, and computer, taking Sohel to the police station. Read More: Locked in and burned; 7-year-old dies in Lakshmipur arson attack Sohel told police that he had made the seals on order but did not disclose who had placed the request. Executive Magistrate Hasan Mahmud Nahid said producing election seals at the press is illegal and that a case will be filed against the accused. Additional District Police Superintendent (Administration and Finance) Hosain Mohammad Raihan Kazemi confirmed the raid, saying Sohel was arrested with six election seals and that police are continuing the operation to apprehend others involved while preparing a case. 

A seven-year-old girl was burned to death in a deliberate arson attack on the house of a local BNP leader in Bhabaniganj of Lakshmipur’s Sadar upazila, turning a quiet night into a scene of horror and loss. The deceased, Ayesha Begum, was the youngest daughter of Md Belal, assistant organising secretary of the Bhabaniganj union unit BNP. Three other members of the family sustained burn injuries in the attack. NDF president Anisul's house set on fire in Chattogram Police and family members said Belal was sleeping in the house with his wife and children when unidentified attackers locked the two doors from outside, poured petrol around the house and set it on fire. The flames spread quickly, leaving little chance to escape. Ayesha Begum Binti, 7, was burned to death on the spot. Belal and his two daughters—Smriti, 18, and Bithi, 13—suffered burn injuries. Neighbours rushed to the house and rescued the injured, taking them to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital. As their condition deteriorated, Smriti and Bithi were later shifted to the Burn Institute in Dhaka. Smriti’s condition was reported to be critical. Belal is currently receiving treatment at Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital. Udichi central office set on fire Officer-in-charge of Lakshmipur Sadar Police Station Wahid Parvez said police visited the scene after being informed. “One child died and three others were injured in the fire. The incident is being investigated,” he said. Fire Service Sadar station official Ranjit Kumar Saha said firefighters rushed to the spot after receiving the information and brought the fire under control after about one hour of effort. The attack has left a family devastated and raised serious concerns over violence targeting homes at night, as investigators work to identify those responsible, locals said. Read more: Dhaka may see shift in crime patterns ahead of national election: DB

Police arrested two people in connection with a robbery and gang-rape in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila. The arrestees were identified as Md Sohel and Nur Karim. They were detained during raids at different locations in the Sadar area on Saturday night, police said. According to the case statement, a six-member robbery gang stormed into the house of Amir Hossain in Char Mansa village under Teowariganj union in the early hours of Friday with locally made weapons. The robbers tied up Amir Hossain looted cash and gold ornaments, and at one stage, gang-raped his wife. As two of the attackers were locals, the victims could recognise them. Inclement weather halts water transport on Bhola-Lakshmipur route Later, Amir filed a case with Sadar Police Station naming two men and four unnamed others. Jhalak Mohonto, investigation officer of the police station, said, “We launched drives soon after the case was filed and arrested two accused. They were produced before the court.” The rape survivor was sent to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital for medical examination, the officer said, adding that efforts are underway to arrest the remaining suspects.

Allegations have been lodged with the International Crimes Tribunal against 41 people, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former military advisor Tarique Ahmed Siddique, over the killing of Dr Fayez Ahmed, Naib-e-Ameer of Lakshmipur district Jamaat-e-Islami, who was shot dead at his residence. The accused also included former Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, former Additional Director General of the RAB Ziaul Ahsan, and former CEO of the RAB-11 Tarique Sayed Mohammad. The victim’s son, Dr Hasanul Bannah, submitted the allegation of crimes against humanity at the office of the court’s chief prosecutor, said plaintiff’s lawyer Abdus Sattar Palowan. According to the allegations, an armed group in a vehicle displaying Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) stickers arrived under Dr Foyez’s house in the Temuhani area of the district headquarters around 12:30 am on December 13, 2013. The group forcibly broke open the gate and entered the victim’s home. Read: BNP lodges complaints with ICT over 2276 crossfires,153 enforced disappearances They dragged Dr Foyez from his room on the second floor to the rooftop of the three-storey building, where they assaulted him, striking his head, face and other parts of his body with the butts of their firearms. As per the accusations, Tarique Sayed Mohammad shot Dr Foyez in the knee, causing severe bleeding. To ensure his death, the attackers threw him off the rooftop. They then transported his body to the Sadar Hospital morgue. Read more: ICT issues arrest warrants against Sheikh Hasina, 10 others The death of Dr Foyez, a widely respected humanitarian physician in the district, sparked nationwide outrage and condemnation.

Two people were killed and two others sustained serious injuries in separate road accidents in Lakshmipur and Khagrachhari on Friday morning. In Lakshmipur, a 25-year-old woman was killed and two others were injured when an auto-rickshaw lost control and collided with a stationary truck in the Zamindar Hat area on the Lakshmipur-Ramgati road. Nasima Akhter, wife of Abdul Barek from the Charsita area in Ramgati upazila, died on the spot, said Ramgati Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Kabir Hossain. Her elder sister, Farzana Akhter, and the auto-rickshaw driver were injured in the crash, which occurred around 10am, he added. Injured Farzana was taken to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital and later transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for further treatment. The body of Nasima Akhter has been kept at the hospital morgue, said Dr. Kamalashish of Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital. In another accident in Khagrachhari, a 24-year-old man died when a SUV overturned in the Rainyabari area of Bhai-Bonchhara Union under Khagrachhari Sadar. 25-year-old’s body recovered in Chandpur The deceased, Md. Monir Hossain, son of Md. Solaiman from Purba Muslim Para, died on the spot after being crushed by the vehicle, which lost control while climbing a hill, said Abdul Baten Mridha, officer-in-charge (OC) of Khagrachhari Sadar Police Station.

At least three people were killed and 20 others injured in a gas cylinder blast in a bus in Sadar upazila of Lakshmipur district early Monday. The deceased were identified as Suman Hossain, son of Batu Mia; Md Yusuf Mia and his brother Hridoy Hossain, sons of Sujamia. They hailed from Sadar Upazila's  Charmonsha and Banchanagar areas respectively. Among the injured were Suman Hossain, Rocky Islam, Muhammad Fahad Hossain, Siraj Mia, Hriday Islam, Shah Khan, and Abdul Malek. Ten of the injured were shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for better treatment. Read: Gazipur cylinder blast: Death toll rises to 17 Witnesses said that the explosion occurred at around 2 am at Green Life Filling Station in Muktiganj area when a Ramgati-bound bus of Meghna Paribahan was refueling. The blast left three people dead on the spot and injured 20 others. Al Amin, the manager of the filling station, said the victims were mostly CNG-run autorickshaw drivers and the injured included both bus and CNG drivers. Ranajit Kumar, station officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) department in Sadar upazila, said two firefighting units were sent  to the scene after receiving information. They recovered three bodies and rescued the injured. The bodies were sent to Sadar Hospital. Read more: 3 suffer burn injuries as gas cylinder blasts in Malibagh According to Kumar, the accident occurred due to the use of a substandard gas cylinder. Dr Joynal Abedin, resident medical officer of Sadar Hospital, said that the bodies were sent to morgue for autopsy while 10 injured to Dhaka for better treatment.

At least 15 people, including five policemen, were injured in a clash between two factions  of Awami League at Chandraganj Bazar in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila on Wednesday.  The clash broke out between the followers of Kazi Solaiman and Upazila Parishad Chairman Nurul Amin over the newly formed convening committee of Chandraganj Union Awami League around 7:30 pm. Police detained 12 people from both sides. Among the injured are Sub-inspector Zakir Hossain of the Detective Branch of Police, SI Abdur Rahim of Chandraganj Police Station and Constable Mozammel Hossain and Chhatra League activist Akbar Hossain. Akbar is the brother of M Masudur Rahman, general secretary of Chandraganj Thana Chhatra League. According to locals, at the time of the incident, a joy procession was taken out congratulating the newly formed committee of Chandraganj Union Awami League. At that time, the attack was led by Masudur Rahman, general secretary of Chandraganj Thana Chhatra League. The two sides clashed. Police resorted to charging with batons to stop the clash. Masud is known to be a follower of Kazi Solaiman, a former secretary of the Chandraganj Union Awami League. A tense situation was prevailing in the area. M Mahfuzjan Ashraf, Superintendent of Police of Lakshmipur, said, there has been a clash between the two groups of Awami League. When they tried to stop them, brickbats were hurled at the police. “Five policemen were injured. Later, the situation was brought under control after charging with batons. A total of 12 people from both sides of the Awami League have been detained in connection with the incident,” he said.

Bodies of two siblings were recovered from a waterbody in Nabbar Char area under Lakshmipur’s Sadar upazila early Sunday. The deceased were identified as Samia, 10, and Tajmul, 7. They were the children of Sujan Dali, a farmer of the area. According to locals, Sujan and his neighbor Akkas Bepari had been at loggerhead for long over a piece of land. A case is also ongoing over this issue. Sujan was long receiving threats from Akkas and his people. Read: Woman’s throat-slit body found in Laxmipur; One held On Saturday afternoon, Sujan went to a nearby shop with his three children by a boat. He kept his elder son with him and sent his other two kids to home with the boat. The water of the river started to rise and the two kids went missing while returning home. After searching for some hours, their blood-strained bodies were found in a waterbody near Sujan’s house. Palash Kanti Nath, Additional Superintendent of Lakshmipur police, said that the bodies were sent to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. “Necessary steps will be taken after investigating the incident,” said Palash. Blood on the deceased’s bodies has created suspicion among the locals. Sujan alleged that the kids didn’t drown, rather they were killed by his rival group.

Police have arrested a man for allegedly raping his 13-year-old stepdaughter in Kamalnagar upazila of Lakshmipur. Locals told UNB that the accused had been living at his parents-in-law's house since his marriage with the rape survivor’s mother three years ago. Also read: College student accuses former lover of rape with promise of marriage in Kurigram On Wednesday, when the girl’s mother went to her sister's house, the accused raped the girl after spiking her juice with sleeping pills. The girl narrated her ordeal to her aunt the next morning, following which the police were informed and a complaint was lodged. Also read: 3 arrested in Ctg over gang rape of girl who escaped from Cumilla "A case of rape has been filed and the accused has been arrested. The girl has been sent for a medical test," Mohammad Solaiman, officer-in-charge of Kamalnagar police station, said.